..####.#.#                                          ...#.#..#.
.#...#####                                          ..####.##.
##..#.....                                          .#...##.#.
.#.##....#                                          ##..#.####
###.#...##                                          .#.###...#
..###..#.. gray  skies,  swirling with  soot. stony ###..#..#.
.#..#.##.# ground  with  no  hints  of  vegetation. ..#.##.##.
##.###.##.                                          .###.##.#.
.##..##.#. below   the  surface   are  the   mines, #..##.####
#.#.#.#### spiraling  down  into  the crust.  small #.#.##...#
######...# compared to  the caverns they eventually ####.#..#.
.....#..#. reach and join  with. the temperature is ...###.###
....##.##. higher down here,  and the view  is  not ..#..##..#
...#.##.#. as  monochrome:  a  green  light beckons .##.#.#.##
..###.###.                from below.               #.######.#
.#..##..#.                                          ##.....###
##.#.#.### long ago, there was a lifeform here.  in .#....#..#
.######..# the center of  the  planetoid, something ##...##.#.
#.....#.#. dormant, waiting  for a  collision  with .#..#.###.
#....####. another   body.  but   no   planet   was ##.###..##
#...#...## reached,  and  over  time,  the seedling .##..#.#..
#..##..#..             became a sludge.             #.#.####.#
#.#.#.##.#                                          ####...##.
######.### and  elves  came  as  miners,   and  the ...#..#.##
.....##...            sludge was bottled.           ..##.###..
....#.#...                                          .#.##..#..
...####..# ######################################## ###.#.##..
..#...#.#. #                                      # ..####.#..
.##..####. # #################################### # .#...###..
#.#.#...#. # #                                  # # ##..#..#..
#####..##. # # #@@#§#§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§#§#@@# # # .#.##.##.#
....#.#.#. @ # #                              # # @ ###.##.##.
...####### @ # #   the cargo ship is filled,  # # @ ..##.##.#.
..#......# £ # @      prepared for launch,    @ # £ .#.##.###.
.##.....#. § @ @   ignition sequence started  @ @ § ###.##..#.
#.#....##. ; # @    hours ago. elves in the   @ # ; ..##.#.##.
###...#.## ; § #   passenger cabin, not yet   # § ; .#.####.##
..#..###.# ~ ; #   seated. but something is   # ; ~ ###...##..
.##.#..### ~ ~ £   wrong. there is something  £ ~ ~ ..#..#.#..
#.###.#..# - - §   green around their mouths. § - - .##.####..
##..###.## - - ; the sludge has been sampled, ; - - #.##...#.#
.#.#..##.. - - ~     entertained, and then    ~ - - ##.#..###.
####.#.#.. - - -      finally binged on.      - - - .###.#..#.
...#####.. . . .                              . . . #..###.###
..#....#.# . . . the engines are burning hot, . . . #.#..##..#
.##...###.         and the ship accelerates         ###.#.#.##
#.#..#..#.           away. the elves have           ..######.#
###.##.###        strapped themselves in, and       .#.....##.
..##.##...       are lying completely still,        ##....#.##
.#.##.#...               like corpses.              .#...###.#
###.###..#                                          ##..#..###
..##..#.##                                          .#.##.#...
.#.#.###..                                          ###.###...
#####..#..                                          ..##..#...
....#.##..                                          .#.#.##..#